Stem winding and setting watch



No. BIZ .913. Patented Oct. 25, I898. F. C. RIES.

STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH.

(Application filed Mar. 3, 1898.)

(N0 Modal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK RIES, OF MACON, GEORGIA.

STEM WINDING AND SETTING WATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,913, dated October25, 1898. Application filed March 3,1898. Serial ITO. 672,439. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK 0. Boss, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at Macon, in the county of Bible and State'of Georgia,have invented new and useful Improvements in Stem Winding and SettingWatches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of stem winding and setting watcheshaving crystalcarrying bezels or front covers, and has for its object toprovide novel, simple, eficient, durable, and economical means forthrowing either the winding or the setting mechanism into and out ofaction as may be required to wind or set the watch. This object isaccomplished in the manner and by the means hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which--Figure 1 is a detail plan view of a watch embodying my invention, thecrystal-carrying bezel or front cover, the dial, and the hands beingomitted. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view showing the crystal-carryingbezel in position and partly in section to clearly illustrate thesegmental recess in its inner surface for engaging and releasing theleverspring by which the clutch-sleeve is operated to throw either thewinding or the setting mechanism into and out of action. Fig. 3 is aplan view looking at the inside of the bezel. Fig. 4 is a detailperspective view of the lever-spring, and Fig. 5 is a detail sectionaledge view of the watchcase.

The views in the drawings are somewhat magnified to more clearlyillustrate the parts constituting my invention.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to thedrawings wherein- The numeralvl, indicates the pendant of. a watch, and2 the winding and setting stem, extending through and rotatable in thependant. The stem is provided at itsouter end with a crown-piece 3 andcarries a pinion 4, loosely mounted thereupon and serving when turned totransmit'motion in the usual manner or by any suitable intermediatemechanism to the mainspring-arbor (3. A gear or pinion 5 when turnedserves to transmit motion as usual or by suitable mechanism to thewatch-hands. The pinion 4 is thrown into or out of gear with the stem 2through the medium of a clutch-sleeve 8, keyed or splined upon andconcentric with the stem between the said pinion 4 and the pinion orgear 5. The outer extremity of the clutch-sleeve is constructed orprovided with clutch-teeth 9 to engage clutch-teeth on the, adjacentorin ner side of the loose pinion 4, while the inner end of theclutch-sleeve is constructed or provided with clutch-teeth 10 to engagethe teeth of the gear or pinion 5. The clutch-sleeve 8 is controlledthrough the medium of a leverspring and a bezel or cover which turns onthe watchcase, as I will now proceed to describe in detail.

In the drawings I have represented the cover as composed of a crystal12, mounted, as usual, in a bezel 13, which is internallyscrew-threaded, asat 13, and screws upon a screw-threaded portion 13 ofthe watchcase, as usual. If desired, however, this cover may consist ofan ordinary closing-cap, of any suitable metal or material, screwed tothe watchcase in the same manner as the bezel.

The inner surface of the bezel or cover is out away to provide acomparatively long seg* mental .recess 14, having its end portionsgradually rounded off and flush with the inner surface of the bezel, asat 18 and 19.

The segmental recess 14 is designed to receive and accommodate a roundedor other suitably-shaped lug 15,'formed with or provided on alever-spring 16, which, as here shown, is bow-shaped and at oneextremity is pivoted to a fixed part of the watch-movement through themedium of a screw-pivot 17, while the other extremity is loosely engagedwith the sleeve 8, so that the sleeve is susceptible of rotating, theconstruction be ing such that if the lug be pressed inward thelever-spring willyieldingly force the clutch-sleeve inward on the stemto disengage its toothed extremity 9 from the clutchteeth of the pinion4 and cause its toothed extremity 10 to engage the teeth of the gear orpinion 9. The connection of the leverspring with the clutch-sleeve iseffected, as here shown, by providing the sleeve with an annular groove8, into which extends a comparatively small finger or lug 16 on theinner extremity of the leverspring. The lever spring 16 is positivelyoperated to move the clutch-sleeve 8 in the manner above describedthrough the medium of the bezel, which is adapted to turn upon thewatchcase by reason of the screw-threaded connection of these parts.WVhen the bezel is tightly screwed into position on the watchcase, therounded or other suitably-shaped lug 15 lies approximately centralbetween the ends of the recess let, and in this position or in anyposition of the lug between the rounded end portions 18 and 19 of therecess 14 the leverspring is released and the clutch-sleeve 8 is movedoutward by the action of a clutchspring 21, lying between the plates ofthe watch and having one extremity entering the annular groove 8 in theclutch-sleeve. lVhen the lever-spring is forced inward by turning thebezel or cover, the clutch-sprin g is moved inward and placed undertensi0n,so that when the lever-spring is released, as above stated, theresiliency of the elutclrspring throws the clutch-sleeve outward intoengagement with the loose pinion Al and out of engagement with the gearor pinion 5. \Vhile I prefer to employ the clutch-spring 21, it is notindispensable, in that the lever-spring itself may be made to throw theclutch-sleeve outward. If it is desired to set the watch, the bezel isturned a limited distance in the direction in which it is turned tounscrew the same from the watchcase, and consequently the rounded endportion 10 of the recess 1% will act upon the rounded or other suitablyconstructed lug 15 and press the same inward, thereby pressing thelever-spring inward and causing it to shift the clutch-sleeve 8 out ofengagement with the pinion 4, which transmits motion to themainspring-arbor, and into engagement with the pinion 5, which transmitsmotion to the hands of the watch. The pinion 5 will now turn with theclutch-s1eeve to transmit motion to the hands of the watch. After thewatch has been set the bezel is slightly turned in the directionrequired to screw it tight upon the watchcase, and thereupon the lug 15is released, and the clutchsleeve and lever-spring are moved out by theaction of the clutch-spring 2l,as before stated.

The clutch-sleeve and the teeth on the pinions 4 and 5 constitute aclutch by which either the winding or the setting mechanism may bethrown into or out of action, as may be required. Normally theclutch-sleeve is moved outward to engage the pinion l, so that thewinding mechanism is in gear with the stem and the watch can be wound atany time.

In my invention the winding-stem has no longitudinal motion, andtherefore the position of the hands cannot be changed by thelongitudinal movement of the stem caused by an accidental pull-out ofthe stem or by wear incident to some constructions having a spring toconstantly press the stem outward.

In my improved construction no micrometric accuracy is required withreference to the longitudinal position of the stem, and,

moreover, there are fewer partsemployed, and consequently less liabilityof the parts being disarranged. The recess in the inner surface of thebezel or cover releases the lever-spring when the bezel or cover isscrewed tight, and this lever-spring is only acted upon when the handsare to be set. The leverspring is of such form and is so constructed, aswill be obvious from the drawings, that a limited motion of the bezelproduces sufiicient motion of the lever-spring to impart considerablemotion to the clutch-sleeve, and the lever-spring acts as a spring and alever after it has moved the clutch-sleeve to the limit of its inwardmovement, thus holding the clutch firm while setting the hands.

In the arrangement of the lever-spring represented in the drawings thecase-flange 20 of the Watchcase is cut away to permit the rounded orother suitably-shaped lug 15 to project through the flange and enter therecess 14: in the inner surface of the bezel. I do not, however, limitmyself to this particular. construction, nor to the exact form or shapeof the lever-spring, nor to the precise configuration of the recess inthe bezel, as the essential features reside in a lever-spring operatedby turning the bezel or cover upon a watchcase for actuating a clutch tothrow either the winding or setting mechanism into or out of action.Further, I do not confine myself to operating the lever-spring by thefront bezel or cover, as it may be operated by the back cover, nor do Iconfine myself to forming the segmental recess in the screwthreaded partof the bezel or cover, as the recess may be formed in the edge of thebezel or cover, as will be obvious.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is 1. The combinationwith a watch havinga crystal-carrying bezel screwed upon the case, arotatable stem geared to the winding and setting mechanisms, and aclutch-sleeve rotating with and movable longitudinally on said stem, ofa lever-spring secured at one end, engaged at its other end direct withthe clutch-sleeve and constructed near its secured end with anoutwardly-projecting lug, operated upon by the bezel when it is turnedupon the watchcase to throw the clutchsleeve into, or out of operativeconnection with the winding or the setting mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

' 2. The combination with a watchcasc, of a bezel rotatable on said caseand having its inner surface constructed with a segmental recess, arotatable stem geared to the winding and setting mechanisms, aclutch-sleeve rotatable with said stem and movable longitudinallythereon, and alever-spring secured at one end, engaged at its oppositeend with said clutch-sleeve and constructed near its secured end with anoutwardly-projecting lug extending into the said segmental recess of thebezel and operated by the latter to yieldingly force the lever-springinward when lug normallylying in the said segmental recess and operatedby the direct action of the bezel when turned in one direction on thewatchcase to actuate the clutch-sleeve, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

- FREDERICK O. RIES.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. RoWELL, WELDEN A. HARDING.

